Why can't I tether with my Grandfathered Unlimited Data Plan?

Today, I called AT&T to setup a personal hotspot on my iphone. AT&T said I had to get an LIMITED DATA plan. I could not use the UNLIMITED DATA plan I had signed up with. I was told AT&T does not grandfather unlimited data for personal hotspots on my iphone. I asked for an email regarding AT&T not honoring UNLIMITED DATA plans. I have not recieved the email. It is not fair AT&T will not honor what I signed up for with them. What can I do to make AT&T honor their contract with for UNLIMITED DATA?

You may have been notified of the $5 increase in cost of the unlimited data plan as of February 2016? Verizon raised it price by $20 as of November 15.

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Re: Why can't I tether with my Grandfathered Unlimited Data Plan?

ATT, just like Verizon is increasing the price of the plan to be in line with median use - or so they say. So they are not going to allow tethering which would or could exponentially increase data use.

(The following is included after all posts to save typing) I don’t work for AT&T. My replies are based on experience and reading content available on the website. Our answers are honest, but not always appreciated. If you posted personal information, please edit and remove.

Award for Community Excellence 2019 Achiever**The views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.

Re: Why can't I tether with my Grandfathered Unlimited Data Plan?

Folks, $5 is nothing, you might not be happy with it, but it's really not cRaZy (it's not $50 like the competition is rasing up to!), I can't believe it took them this long. They've not had a price increase in that tier since they implemented it (at least not in the 7 years I've been with them). Now you only get 3GB for $30 (or is it 2GB) and it's $20 for 300MB (you can't get 200MB for $15 anymore unless you grandfathered it).

I think most people will agree, many (most?) people consume WAY more data they they did when the unlimted data started 9(!) years ago. That's only a 1.75% increase per year.

Sure they've got ways to push internet around better than they did 10 years ago, but we've got speeds way higher than before, and (again) I'm sure everyone is using way more data than they did when they signed up. Netflix, Apple music, iTunes Match, Amazon Prime, etc....

I think it'd be totally worth it for $20 extra a month they'd let me tether up to 5GB of data.

Gary

Can I save your $10 a month?

Are you paying $30 for family texting/M2M or $20 for individual? If so give them a call and ask if you can get that dropped $10 a month. They were doing this a year(?) ago, but I haven't had anyone call lately (since I got everyone I know to switch then).

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Re: Why can't I tether with my Grandfathered Unlimited Data Plan?

I also have unlimited data and suffer from this dilemma. I have to pay verizon nearly $100 every 2 months just to get 10gb of prepaid data on a prepaid mifi to get data for my surface pro 3 tablet on the go. I wish I switched my $30 unlimited data plan back to their $45 unlimited data with tehtering back when there was no such thing as limited data plans. Than maybe I would have been grandfathered into that old plan and have tethering instead of just unlimited data

Re: Why can't I tether with my Grandfathered Unlimited Data Plan?

Verizon allowed the addition of a tethering option for $30 a month, doubling the cost to $60. With the addition of $20 to their current price, that bill is up to $80 a month. Then add talk and text.

The increase has Verizon customers livid.

I recent read one customer claim this increase would push his bill for one line over $200 per month. For him the final straw as he claims he didn't use that much data, but had been holding on to the plan for the convenience of having unlimited data and tethering.

(I will add, he would not explain how and there was disbelief that it were possible. Unlimited text was $30 and a basic line fee was $10. He had added features, which only a masochist adds to ones plan, as there is always a free app for that)

He also claimed his total family bill was something like $600 (all on older plans) an was not impressed he could now pay for his $800 phones over 2 years.

Face it folks. Unless you use massive amounts of data and have no other source for data, the old plans are more expensive.

A shared data plan works great since 2 of our family use much more data than the rest of the family.

(The following is included after all posts to save typing) I don’t work for AT&T. My replies are based on experience and reading content available on the website. Our answers are honest, but not always appreciated. If you posted personal information, please edit and remove.

Award for Community Excellence 2019 Achiever**The views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.

Re: AT&T does not HONOR their unlimited data plan contracts

When I purchased first iphone, got unlimited data for $30/month AND purchased a tethering option for additional $20/month.

In looking back over AT&T announcements during that time that I can find (no guarantee on the searches), they announced that phones would be capable of tethering. They also announced unlimited data plans. Nowhere can I find where they linked the two together although it would be easy to infer such. I can not find anything that included free tethering with unlimited data plans for AT&T.

I still think AT&T could go a long way to smoothing ruffled feathers if they allowed unlimited data plan customers to tether to only ONE device at a time. Would allow users to watch that movie on a tablet vice the tiny phone screen but would not use any more data.

Re: Why can't I tether with my Grandfathered Unlimited Data Plan?

I still think AT&T could go a long way to smoothing ruffled feathers if they allowed unlimited data plan customers to tether to only ONE device at a time. Would allow users to watch that movie on a tablet vice the tiny phone screen but would not use any more data.

Re: Why can't I tether with my Grandfathered Unlimited Data Plan?

Or they would connect it to their smart TV and binge watch Netflix all month, or Xbox and game all month, which is what people are using their tethered unlimited data for, not a tablet.

Some one like myself with a limited data plan tether a tablet.

Verizon stopped selling the tethering option because those with the unlimited plan and tethering, often are using hundreds of GBs of data. They are now paying $80 a month for the combined data and tethering privilege.

T-mobile recently cracked down on their plan which allows limited tethering, because people had hacked their device and were using hundreds of GBs of tethered data, when they are only allowed 5. They terminated service for customers who were abusing the plan and breaking their terms of service.

(The following is included after all posts to save typing) I don’t work for AT&T. My replies are based on experience and reading content available on the website. Our answers are honest, but not always appreciated. If you posted personal information, please edit and remove.

Award for Community Excellence 2019 Achiever**The views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.

Re: AT&T does not HONOR their unlimited data plan contracts

I'm trying to recall:

It was either said in the Apple iPhone/iOS Keynote when Apple announced tethering or AT&T acknowleded they would have tethering (in the days or few weeks following). Unlimited data was still available at the time from AT&T.

This was when I purchased my iPhone: with unimited data and the understanding that I'd be able to tether. But by the time the enabled tethering they then announced it wouldn't be on those plans (months later if I recall, but the keynote was months before that version of iOS came out so I can't remember).

Gary

Rember the Golden Rule: Treat others how you would like to be treated.

Just because my answer does not solve your issue (or agree with you), it may still be correct information...

Stating a fact about how something works, is NOT taking sides, it's just stating a fact...

Information provided might not be for "you" only, it might be clarification for other community members.

This is the public AT&T Community Forum (not AT&T support), please do not post personal info.

When provided an answer, please click "Accept solution" which helps other people to find an answer more quickly.

The (very) fine print - This footer is at the bottom of all my posts, its particulars may, or may not, apply to you & your post.

Award for Community Excellence 2019 Achiever**The views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.

Re: AT&T does not HONOR their unlimited data plan contracts

Your memory is pretty much spot on. The ability to tether was included in the specs, I didn't see it in the keynote.

When the phones were available for pre order, tethering was out for unlimited data plans and tiered data plans were in.

Verizon allowed people to add tethering to a line for $30, considering unlimited was $30 and data was still pretty cheap, this was a huge bill. Yet some paid it, and still have it on Verizon, only they pay $80 since the $20 price hike. I should add that to keep their unlimited data Verizon customers had to buy phones at full price for the last 5 years, while ATT allowed discounted upgrades.

I started at Verizon, which didn't get the iPhone until the iPhone 4. Tethering had been a small add on feature with limited plans and forbidden on unlimited unless you paid for it. Jailbreaking was all the rage back then, 3rd party apps, you name it.....anything to tether when you weren't allowed.

(The following is included after all posts to save typing) I don’t work for AT&T. My replies are based on experience and reading content available on the website. Our answers are honest, but not always appreciated. If you posted personal information, please edit and remove.

Award for Community Excellence 2019 Achiever**The views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.

Re: Why can't I tether with my Grandfathered Unlimited Data Plan?

Tethering was simply touted as a capability of the iPhone. It was Apple who discussed it during the keynote. However that doesn't equal automatically being available on every plan. If I remember correctly the only real mention was that Cingular would be the carrier partner and that was basically it. It has been and was available on what was called DataPRO packages. The enterprise oriented data plans. It was geared towards CRU and the business segment of customers.

*I am an AT&T employee, and the postings on this site are my own and don't necessarily represent AT&T's position, strategies or opinions.

Re: Why can't I tether with my Grandfathered Unlimited Data Plan?

.....as you know, like children in the checkout line, throwing a hissy for candy, if it exists, there are those who believe they are entitled to un restricted use.

(The following is included after all posts to save typing) I don’t work for AT&T. My replies are based on experience and reading content available on the website. Our answers are honest, but not always appreciated. If you posted personal information, please edit and remove.

Award for Community Excellence 2019 Achiever**The views and opinions expressed on this forum are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party.

Re: Why can't I tether with my Grandfathered Unlimited Data Plan?

It isn't about that just about misinformation on how it works. Adding another seat to the table means the data doesn't end at the device. Plain and simple. That is outside the terms of the plan. It will probably never ever change.

*I am an AT&T employee, and the postings on this site are my own and don't necessarily represent AT&T's position, strategies or opinions.